Resilient wheel



F. G. HENRY.

RESILIENT WHEEL.

APPLICATION mu) MAR. 3. 1920.

Patented Aug. 16, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET l- Drum/him MW .Heh r5 Ferd'mzmd F. G. HENRY.

RESILIENT WHEEL.

APPLlCATlON FILED MAR a. 1920.

Patented Aug. 16, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- ments, parts and UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FERDINAND G. HENRY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

RESILIEN T WHEEL.

To aZZ 10710722 it may con (fern Be it known that I. FERDINAND G. HENRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York. in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Resilient lVheels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to resilient wheels and has for an object to provide a wheel embodying new and improved elements of resiliency permitting and responding to the usual and ordinary requirements of resiliency in vehicle wheels and at the same time preventing any and all relative rotary movements of the parts.

Further object of the invention is to provide a resilient wheel having means for accommodating and responding to radial movement in any direction, returning in stantly to accurate concentricity when the distributing force is removed and of such construction as to permitthe use of any usual and ordinary tread structure.

lVith these and other objects in iew the device comprises certain new and novel elestructures with combina- Home as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings,

Figure l is a view of one of the wheels in side elevation, one closure being removed to show the internal construction.

ig. 2 is a sectional view of a quadrant, and edge elevation of the remainder, as in cheated by line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic-a1 view illustrating the action of the moving parts.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the yokes.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the saddles.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the spokes.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The improved wheel, which forms the subject matter of this application, comprises a telly 10 upon which is secured any approved type of tread structure in any approved manner. By way of illustration, a core 11 is shown rigidly secured to felly 10 by bolts 12. Upon the core 11 a shoe 13 is secured by the use of annuli 14 and 15. The annuli let and 15 are clamped upon the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 16, 1921. 1920. Serial No. 363,036.

margins of the shoe l3by means of bolts 16 passing through the core 11.

The telly 10 is provided with ways 17 in which are slidably mounted the heads 18 of the diametrically opposed pairs of fulcrumed spokes 19 and 19 20 and 20, 21 and 21, 2 and 22'.

The spokes just above referred to are each individually, fulcrumed upon the closures which closure upon one of the annulus 23 and the plate crum comprises a pintle 25 rigidly and permancntly secured to the plate 24 as by upsetting the end indicated at 26 in Fig. 2. This not only rigidly secures the annulus 23 and plate 24 to the pintle but likewise secures these two members in concentricity.

pposite the annulus 23 and corresponding thereto is an annulus 27, and a plate 28 corresponds to the plate 2&. These latter two elements are secured to the pintle 25 by means of the screw 29 and, positioned opposite the annulus 23 and plate 24 therewith. become the closures for the structure, The annulus and plate 24 are rigidly and permanently secured to the sleeve 30. The annulus 27 is rigidly secured to a flanged sleeve 31 which by means of screw 32 is rigidly secured to the sleeve 30. A screw cap 33 is provided to which in turn the plate 28 is attached. The parts when secured upon the sleeve form the hub. The hub is mounted upon the axle 3% in any approved manner and the mountin indicated at Fig. 2 is only indicative of a manner of mounting the wheel on an axle.

The plates 24. and 28, whose peripheries overlap the telly 10 are free to move relative thereto, except as restrained by the mechanism to be hereinafter more fully described, and do move relative to the telly, responsive to stresses bringing into action the resiliency of the wheel.

pon sleeve 30 a plurality of yokes are mounted indicated as 35 36, 37 and 38 all being identical in form and proportion and one being disclosed in perspective at Fig. 4.

At the ends, the yokes are provided with slots 39 and 40 (see Fig. 4) proportioned to fit over and move slidably upon hubs 4-1 formed preferably integral with the several pokes, and containing the openings 42 by which the spokes are journaled upon the pintles 25 fulcruming such spokes (see Fig. 6).

is to say in concentricity, as shown in At the ends of the spokes opposite the heads 18 disks 43 are provided which engage in notches 44k and 45' in the sides of the yokes.

' The yokes are each provided with an approximately rectangular opening 16 havlng, however, insets producing shoulders 4:7 and 48 upon which shoulders respectively rests saddles a9 and 50. The spacing of the shoulders 1? and 48 is such that the concavity 51 ot the yoke rests upon the sleeve 30 while the ends of the yoke bear upon the shoulders. By this means when the yokes 4C9 and 50jare properly seated upon the shoulders 47 and 4&8 respectively they are also seated upon the sleeve 30 holding the structure in yielding concentricity. For providing this yielding function, sinuous springs 52 and 53 are seated in the apertures of the opening 16 between the saddles and the opposite ends of a such openings. The springs 52 and 53 are of such relative resiliency that they will retain the saddles 19 and 50 in engagement with the supporting shoulders 47 and L8 and the sleeve 30 unless considerable displacing stress is applied to the periphery of the wheel.

Assuming that the parts are normal, tfhziilz u lines at Figs. 1 and3, and that thestressis applied in a normal manner upon the axle, the functioning of the several parts will be as follows Themovement of the axle downwardly would carry therewith the closures consisting of the annuli 23 and 27 and the plates 24 and 28 between which the several spokes are fulcrumed.

Assuming the rigidity of the tread structure the movement of the axle downwardlyis illustrated at Fig. 3. The downward movement or the several tulcrums 25 move the several hubs 41 also downwardly the entire amplitude of movement of the hub. The heads 18 of the spokes 19 and 19 are, however, held from vertical movement of the ways 17. The. result is an angular movement upon their fulcrums which is resisted'by the yoke 35 and the spring 52.

The stress, llOWeV61,'I110VBS the yoke 35 against the tension of the spring 52 slidable upon the hubs d1 of the spokes 20 and 20 which, however, have moved with the movement of the hub. The yoke 35 moves by reason of the spokes 19 and 19 through a greater distance than the hubs 41 of the spokes 20 and 20". The movement of the yoke 35 carries the saddle 50 upon the shoulders 18 away from the sleeve 30, the spring 53 being subjected to no augmented compression. It is obvious that as soon as the disturbing stress is released the spring 52 will return the yoke 35 to normal, returning, thereby and therewith, all of the parts tonormality. It isobvious that the yoke 37 will move vertically with the huh 3 indicated and subject to no displacement. The yokes 36 and 38, however, are subject to displacement, the engaging spokes moving as at Fig. 3. For purpose or illustration all of the yokes have been omitted from Fig. 3 except yoke 35 but the movement of yokes 36 derstood by noting the dotted positions of the levers 21 and 21 and 22 and 22.

All relative rotary movement between the closures and the tread is prevented by the fact that any rotary movement would tend to move for instance the lever 19 (see Fig. 3) in the direction indicated in dotted lines, but the same movement would tend to move the lever 19 in the'opposite direction, the tendency to move being exactly equal upon both sides and the yoke 35 being incapable of angular movement by reason ofits engagement at its opposite ends upon the hubs 1-1 resists such relative rotation. It is obvious that the other yokes 36,37 and 38 with their co-acting spokes will act similarly; The organization therefor provides a structure which is free to float resiliently in any direction radially within the tread memberjbut is held firmly and rigidly against any rotation relative thereto.

The several yokes, saddles and springs are made of such thickness that their combined thickness is equal to the interval between the closures, whereby no guide restraining or retaining means are necessary to hold the several parts in proper relation. Also the ways 17 beingclosed at opposite ends only by the plates 24 and 28 permit almost instantaneous withdrawal of the inner organization when the. plate 28 is removed.

It will be obvious that the specific number and proportions of parts as disclosed in the drawings may be varied within a considerable margin varying the amplitude of re silient movement and making the structure heavier or lighter as the exigencies of use may require.

I claim:

1. A resilient wheel comprising an annular tread structure, a radially yieldable bearing structure and positive stop centering mechanisms. V t

2. A resilient wheel comprising an annular tread structure, an inner bearing struc ture, means tending to move the bearing structure yieldingly from concentricity toward the center of the tread structure and positive stops limiting the movement under the stress of the yielding means to concentricity. 4 V

3. A resilient wheel comprising, an outer tread structure and an inner bearing structure, fulcrumed spokes joining the two struc-' tures, means connected with the spokes permitting free radial yielding movement of the bearing structure relative to the tread strucand 38 will bereadily unture and means connected with the spokes to prevent rotary movement of one structure relative to the other.

a. A resilient wheel embodying, a tread structure, an axle, a disk carried by the axle and movable relative to the tread structure, spokes fulcrume'd upon the disk and engaging the tread structure and yielding men1 bers engaged by the t'ulcrumed spokes adapted to move radially only in response to stress applied by diametrically positioned spokes.

A resilient wheel comprising, a substan tially annular tread structure, a hub, a disk carried by the hub in slidable engagement with the tread structure. a series of spokes fulcrnmed upon the disk and having their outer ends in radially slidable engagement with the tread structure and a member engaging the inner ends or each diametrically opposed pair of spokes and movable radially only in response to stress applied by such engaging pair of spokes.

6. A resilient wheel comprising, a substantiallyannular outer tread structure, a normally concentric hub, a disk carried by the hub movable relative to and upon the tread structure, normally radial spokes fulcrinned upon the disk and having their outer ends in radial movable engagement with the tread structure and a. plurality oi members each in engagement with the inner ends of dia metrically opposed spokes and movable diametrically relative to the disk only upon a line perpendicular to the diametrical position of its engaging spokes.

T. A resilient wheel comprising, a substantially annular outer tread structure, :1 normally concentric hub, disk carried rigidly by the hub and having its peripheral margin overlapping and slidable upon the tr ad structure, a plurality of pairs of diametrically opposed spokes fulcrumed upon the disk and having their outer ends in radially slidable engagementwith the tread structure, members corresponding in number to the pairs of spokes slidable relative to the hub diametrically only perpendicular to the diametrical positions of the engaging spokes and yielding members interposed within the sliding members and yieldingly resisting such diametrical sliding movement.

8. A resilient wheel comprising, an outer tread structure, a hub normally concentric with the. tread structure, a yoke diametrically slidable between the tread and the hub, a spring positioned to yieldingly resist such diametrical sliding movement and means interposed bet-ween the tread structure and the yoke whereby radial movement of the hub is augmented and applied to slidably move the yoke against the resistance of the yielding member.

9. A resilient wheel comprising, an outer tread structure, a plurality of yokes slidable relative to the hub upon different diameters,

yielding members positioned to resist diametrical movement of any of said yokes and means interposed between the hub and the tread member whereby radial movement of the hub is multiplied in a given ratio and applied to move certain of the yokes upon coinciding radii but through greater amplitude than the movement of the hub.

10. A resilient wheel comprising, a substantially annular tread structure, a normally concentric hub, a yoke slidable diametrically relative to the hub and slidably engaging the tread structure at its opposite ends for radial movement only, means interposed between the yoke and the tread structure whereby the movement of the hub radially relative to the tread structure moves the yoke along a like radius through a greater amplitude of movement and a yielding member positioned to resist the movement of the yoke relative to the hub.

11. A resilient wheel comprising, a substantially annular tread structure, a normally concentric hub, a plurality of yokes embracing the hubs and having their major axes positioned along different diameters, means carried by the tread structure engaging the yokes permitting movement of the yokes relative to the tread structure along the diameter of their major axes only and pivoted means ngaging the tread at diametrical points on lines each perpendicular to the major axes of one of the yokes said pivoted members engaging the minor axes of the yokes tending to slide the said yokes diametrically along their major axes when radial stress is applied to move the pivoted members upon their fulcrums.

12. A resilient wheel comprising, a tread structure, a normally concentric hub, a plurality of yokes having openings therein em bracing the hub, saddles positioned within the opening of the yokes and resting normally upon the hub, yielding members interposed between the saddles and the limits of the openings tending to hold the saddles yioldingly in engagement with the hub and maintain concentricity and shoulders carried by the yokes inset within the openings forming seats for the saddles.

13. A resilient wheel comprising arigid outer structure, an inner bearing member, members adapted to provide relative radial movement and means to hold the bearing member normally accurately centered irrespective of the relative stresses exerted by the yielding members.

14. A resilient wheel comprising an outer tread structure, an inner bearing structure, interposed members providing for relative radial yielding and positive stops terminating the radial movement at concentricity.

15. A resilient wheel comprising a rigid outer structure, an inner bearing member, members adapted to provide relative radial 10 tive rotary movement and prevent relative rotary motion and means to hold the bearing member normally accurately centered irrespective of the relative stresses exerted by the yielding members.

16. A resilient wheel comprising an outer tread structure, an inner bearing structure, interposed members providing ror relative radial yielding and the preventation of relamotion and positive stops terminating the radial movement at concen tricity. I In Witness whereof, my hand and seal at New 1st day of March, A. and twenty. I

FERDINAND Gr. HENRY. [L8,] Vitnesses i R. A. BAKER, I A. E. PETERSON.

I have hereunto set York, N. Y. this D. nineteen hundred 15 

